Harkila Lynx GTX6 - UPDATE

Harkila's Lynx GTX6 boot - super-comfy even after 39 hours' continuous wearing in the Midland mud!

Okay, so as I mentioned in my previous post, I wore these to the Midland Game Fair. Actually, I as good as lived in them. They were on my feet from 06:00 hrs on the Saturday until 03:00 hrs on Sunday (we had a party - don't ask!), then back on again at 06:30 hrs until I got home at 21:00 hrs Sunday night.


Amazingly, my feet weren't even sweaty. And I mean, as dry as a bone! Despite wearing them continuously for a 39-hour period with just a 3.5-hour break some 21 hours in, my feet came out of the Gore-Tex inners without even a trace of dampness (plus they didn't smell, either).


What's more, they weren't aching, either... and neither was my back, despite being on my feet (standing and walking) for the duration of the very long weekend. I can now say, officially, that these are the most comfortable shoes - let alone walking/stalking boots - I've ever had the pleasure of owning.


On the practical front, my concerns about the soles being a bit slippery are sort of founded. On normal terrain, they're perfect - but it rained a lot over the MGF weekend, and where there was a lot of mud and a reasonable slop, the Harkilas did feel a bit slippery under foot... though I'm not sure well-treaded boots would have been much better. It wasn't a hindrance; I just had to ensure my footfalls were carefully considered.

The Fenix TK12 R5 tactical LED flashlight from The Photon Shop

I went lamping with them last night, trying out the the new Fenix TK12 R5 tactical LED flashilight from The Photon Shop (keep an eye on my Blog for a fuller report soon), and I can tell you that the Lynx is the perfect stalking boot. Even on rough terrain and in the pitch black, you can 'feel' your way brilliantly. 


Given that they look like they're built to last a lifetime from top-quality materials, I can highly recommend the Harkila Lynx GTX - but if you decide to buy a pair mail order, I suggest you go a half-size up on your normal shoe size.

These Boots were meant for Stalking!

Stealth is the prerequisite of an airgun hunter - and I'll never forget the late, great John Darling telling me how important the correct footwear is for stalking. JD used to wear trainers, in fact - he said they allowed him to 'feel' the ground as he inched into range.

I've taken his advice on board; I usually hunt in either my Rocky Pro or Tenaya boots, both of which have soft (well, soft-ish) soles that let me tread with some feeling of what lies underfoot. And for the mucky, winter months, I swear by my Dunlop Wildlife Deluxe wellies which are made of incredibly soft rubber that's also very well insulated against the cold.


The Rockys are a tad weighty and, I must confess, the Tenayas get uncomfortable after a few hours - and as both have done a fair few seasons, I've treated myself to some new hunting boots. They're made by the famous Scandinavian outdoor clothing specialists, Harkila - brought into the UK by Seeland - and I've chosen the Lynx GTX 6 style ankle-boot with JD's immortal words still implanted in my mind.

Harkila Lynx GTX 6 boots

The Lynx is billed by Harkila as their 'ultimate' stalking boot because it's been designed in conjunction with specialist hunters to be incredibly light and flexible. In fact, what caught my attention at first was the fact that Harkila's advertising hype says you get a feeling of walking 'bare foot'! Well, I'm sure some license has been taken there... but the Lynx boot is incredibly light - each foot weighs just 240 grammes! - and the thin sole is flexible enough to let you stalk over most terrain with the sort of stealth every airgun hunter yearns for.


I've only worn them for a couple of easy-going outings so far - to break them in - but I'm intending to wear them for the entirety of this weekend's Midland Game Fair. As I expect to be on my feet in an outside environment for around 16 hours each day, I think I'll get a good idea of how comfortable they're going to be under field conditions. Mind you, the uppers are made of Harkila's 'Memory Fit' material, so I'm sure they'll feel like a well-worn pair of slippers come Monday morning!


Over the next few weeks, I'll bring you a further update once I've used them on a few of my hunting trips. They're a mix of Nubuck leather and Tietex cloth (which is also very silent), and they look very well made - plus the Gore-Tex lining and Texel Tundra changeable liner should stop my feet from getting sweaty and wet.

Gore-Tex lining

The design of the boots has to be seen to be appreciated. Just look at the underside of the insole, which Harkila call their Footbed: it's made of differing density foams and, along with plenty of insulation, has impact-resistant gel inserts at the heel and ball points. 

Footbed insole

I'm not sure how well the Pursch Sole System will cope in slippery conditions, mind you. To me, the tread has been compromised in order to improve the ground-feel - but these guys know what they're doing, so I don't think it'll be like walking on slick tyres in wet weather. 

Pursch Sole System

They're finished in Mossy Oak Break-up camouflage, and the outer's protected with clear, synthetic ribs along with a solid toe-cap. As the GTX 6 is an ankle-boot, there's no need for quick-tie loops, and the laces are well made and slightly elasticated to cope with wet conditions.

Toe-cap

Clear side-ribbing

My first impressions of these £130 boots are very favourable - and I'm really looking forward to putting them through their, erm, 'paces' over the next few weeks before bringing you a no-holds-barred report on my Blog. Watch this space...

The new AccuCover - amazing!

What an amazing new gadget we've got in the shooting world - the AccuCover flip-up lens cap that will instantly improve your accuracy by eliminating parallax error and rifle cant. 


It only costs £19.99, too - and although I've known about the product's development for the past four years, it's only in the past few weeks that I've been able to shoot with a full-working production sample. Let me tell you now, all my scopes are going to have one of these fitted onto them - it works that well thanks to its special chevron alignment system. It's also pretty good when you're lamping, too - and I'm looking forward to some improved night-hunting bags this season. 

It's a British concept, designed by and manufactured in the UK for AccuZero and besides a detailed review in the October 2010 issue of Airgun Shooter magazine (on sale from 7th September at newsagents, or as an e-zine from the iTunes Store), I thought I'd put together a short video to explain a bit more about it (below).


If you're as impressed as I am, you can purchase one on-line at AccuZero's dedicated AccuCover website.

Airgun Shooter App now on iTunes

We've been working hard behind the scenes at Airgun Shooter - the fresh new airgun magazine from Blaze Publishing which was launched at the beginning of 2010 - and I'm proud to say that you can now download the magazine onto your iPhone, iPad or iTouch via the iTunes Apps Store!

The 'paper-free' system is already proving a massive hit with readers - especially those overseas - so if you'd like to get a virtual magazine onto your portable reading device, go visit the iTunes Apps Store here.

And don't forget, you can also receive AirgunTV as a regular podcast on iTunes by typing in 'Airgun TV' in the Search Bar - and if you subscribe (it's free!), you'll receive the latest shows as soon as they're broadcast.

A PCP dedicated for left-handers

If you're a Southpaw fed up with having to 'make-do' with guns designed for right-handed shooting, then you're going to love the new rifle from RWS!


Despite its German-branding, this particular precharged pneumatic has been designed by a famous British airgunmaking name... and is delivered in some rather exotic, Italian-made woodwork. So, an eclectic mix, for sure.


You can read all about the LR20 Carbine - and its longer Rifle stablemate, the LR25 - in the September 2010 edition of Airgun Shooter magazine (subscribe here for a special rate and a great gift) - but why not check out my short video on its fascinating bolt.


In seconds - and with no tools - you can simply swap it from a right-handed operation... to a left-handed one. In conjunction with its ambidextrous stock, it's what makes this the ultimate rifle for airgunners who like to hoist their rifles into their left shoulder...

Myxi on my patch

I was greeted with a very sad sight at the weekend. My best rabbit shoot has been hit by myxi. Looks like I'll be going down there to put them out of their misery over the next few weeks, rather than filling my freezer.

I've put a video of the poor creatures on my YouTube channel. Just go here to see it - or next time you're on the 'Tube, log on to: www.youtube.com/AirgunTester

Wallpaper!

Thought it was about time I changed the look of my Blog and thought this layout was a bit easier on the eye.

I hope you agree!

Blow the Bubbles

I read in the Guardian (full story here) that the Poole-based cosmetics company, Lush, is launching a bubble bath that it hopes will raise £50,000 to fund anti-blood sports activists.

Well, let me state for the record here and now: Neither I, nor any of my friends or family, will be buying Lush's 'The Fabulous Mr Fox bubble bath'!

I urge all other airgunners to spread the word...

A Night-time Rat Hunt with the FX Verminator

Recently had a great time thinning out the scaly-tails at a local organic farm which my mate usually looks after. He's unable to get there at the moment... and I've been charged with keeping the black stuff at bay in his absence.

I've written about the night's shooting antics in December's Sporting Shooter magazine (on sale from the first week of November), and I've put together this short movie to set the scene...

NEW FX ROYALE 400 PCP - sneak preview VIDEO!

I've been testing the new Royale 400 from FX Airguns for December's Air Gunner magazine of late - a lovely buddy bottle multi-shot that, I reckon, will be an instant hit.

I've already knocked over a 40-metre crow with it, plus a couple of mid-range woodies - and I've only taken it hunting the once so far! On paper, it's incredibly accurate (with Air Arms Field 5.52) and the thumbhole stock handles beautifully.

It's available in synthetic (for £799) - or £149 extra gets the flagship walnut model, which I'm showing in the video here (and writing about in the magazine).



I hope you like the movie... and you can read my full report, exclusively in December's Air Gunner magazine, on sale at all good newsagents from the first Thursday of November.

P.S. Let me know what you think of the movie. This is my first... but could be the first of many if it goes down well! You can also find this video on YouTube, where the quality is better than what this Blog allows.

Smash and Grab woody!

A double whammy this afternoon - two of the most amazing things that rank amongst the best experiences I've ever had when out hunting. It's things like this which, for me, make being out and about with my airgun such a wonderful way to spend life.

I'd taken the afternoon off to zero up my Air Wolf which has a new, fixed-power MTC (10 x 44 Viper) on board. I needed it for tomorrow night's long-range rat shooting session with a mate. The zeroing went well, with one-hole groups at 30 metres and a bit of 'plinking' out to 40m just to re-aquaint myself with its SCB reticle.

Afterwards, I popped up to the farmer's father's place, where my Mum is house-sitting. A large stubble field borders it and whilst we were in the garden, there was enough crow and pigeon activity to tempt me into getting the gun out of the boot!

I was able to sneak around the garden unseen, and had the added advantage of being able to rest the Daystate on one of the bars of the wooden boundary fencing.

Nothing was within range; the closest woody (a solitary one) was a good 60 metres away from me. However, it was feeding with its head towards me, and with the ground rising slightly in front of me, its head was just about all I could see. The gun was very steady on the fence and I spent a while watching the bird and assessing the range. Even as its head bobbed up and down, I felt I could land a shot. There was no wind to speak of and the target presented a clean-hit or clean-miss opportunity.

Calculating the range at 60 metres with the scope's sidewheel P/A system, I 'guesstimated' that I'd need to use 3.5 lines down on the ladder cross-hair, took aim... and slipped away the shot.

The Air Wolf's electronic action barely moved and, through the crystal clear optics of the MTC, I saw a couple of feathers puff up and then watched the woody simply roll forward. Its wing momentarily caught what little breeze there was, and then dropped back down. I'd delivered one of the longest-range shots of my life!

Because of the Wolf's integral silencer, none of the surrounding birds lifted. I scanned the ground and noticed a couple more birds, about 15 metres beyond, which were feeding in a similar way. I was hopeful they might work their way toward me, at least to the distance I'd just scored at.
Two or three minutes went by, and the birds didn't play ball. Out of boredom more than anything, I swung the scope back onto the shot bird to admire my handiwork.

Then, while I was looking at it, my scope was suddenly filled with the brown and beige flash of a buzzard as it swooped down to scoop up the dead pigeon in its out-stretched talons!

At 10x power, it looked like an eagle and in a split second it had its head down into the grey feathers. I suppose I should have stayed put and watched it devour its free dinner, but I was very proud of that shot and wanted to have it for my supper!

I jumped up from behind the fence, shouting at the top of my voice. "Oyyyy!!!!!" The entire field took off, and the buzzard - its huge wings outspread as it dropped the pigeon back onto the stubble - rose with that elegance all birds of prey have. Fantastic!

With my cover blown, I retrieved my pigeon, setting up a twig where it had fallen. Then, when I got back to my firing point, I used my laser range-finder to zap the twig. It was 64 metres (which equates to 70 yards!). Even starting out at just 11 ft. lbs. muzzle energy, the 8.3-grain Air Arms Field had still had plenty of punch to despatch the bird humanely at that phenomenal distance.

Quite an eventful late afternoon's impromptu hunt - and one I certainly have pleasure recounting on this blog. I didn't have a camera with me, but these pictures were taken as soon as I got home... just to record the bird for posterity, you understand!

Sloe Gin & Blackberries - a full bag!

I love autumn - even if there's only a hint of it round here. Good 'Indian Summer' days have made me get out and about more than usual this year - and although I think I pretty much reduced the woody numbers earlier in the year, the last couple of weeks have still seen me coming home with a pretty full game bag. Not woodies and bunnies... but blackberries and sloes!

"A season of mists and mellow fruitfulness", now is the time for the airgun hunter to gather a lot more than just meat for the table. Blackberries are pretty much everywhere, and on one of my shoots (which is well off the beaten track for the public), they've been in particular abundance this year. On Sunday alone, I picked four kilos (yes, that's almost nine pounds in old money!) which I'm having with a shake each morning for breakfast. (It makes it the colour of Ribena, but it ain't half tasty.) The kids love 'em, too - snacking on them instead of buscuits when they come home from school. And, of course, with the cookers I picked up from the old orchard, there's my wife's scrummy apply and blackberry pie for pud after supper. I probably should be making blackberry jam, too...

I also collected a large bowlful of sloe berries last weekend - and the sloe gin production line is now well under way! They say that sloes are at the best in October, after the first frosts, but down in the south-west, they're definitely a little ahead of time this year - probably because of the wet summer we had. In fact, some are visibly 'going over' on the bushes.

How do you know if a sloe's ripe? Well, certainly don't taste one straight off the bush! If they've got that deep blue-purple look with a white-ish bloom over them, they're most likely ripe enough for picking. Gently pull at one and it should come away quite easily. If you need to give it a tug, it's not ready yet.

Spotting sloes can be quite difficult, particularly on bright, sunny days as they're perfectly camouflaged in the hedgerow shadows cast by low sun's dappled light. But you can make locating them a lot easier earlier in the year.

The fruit of the blackthorn hedge, when you're hunting around April time, make a mental note of where you see the emergence of the white blackthorn blossom amidst the othewise bare hederows - because that's where you'll be wanting to head in the coming September and October!

And how to make sloe gin? It's easy. Halve the contents of a full bottle of gin (by transferring it into an empty, equally-sized bottle). Into each, pour in around 150 grammes of white sugar (it doesn't have to be exact).

Next, the laborious job; prick each sloe and drop them into the bottles until the level comes up to the neck. (A quicker method is to freeze the sloes overnight. When you take them out of the freezer to thaw, they'll then split.)

Screw the bottle tops on tightly and store them in a dark cupboard, away from heat. Agitate the bottles every day for 10 days, then perhaps once a week until Christmas, when you'll need to decant (and filter) the gin into clean bottles. Now you'll be able to serve your family and friends one of their best-talked-about tipples of the festive season!

They say sloe gin gets better the longer it's kept (I wouldn't know!) - but if you are able to make enough that lasts into the following year, then remove the sloes after about six months.

Cheers!